Board formally recognizes Domestic Violence Awareness Month
“I’ve answered the door to black eyes, bleeding people… They just bypass the Sheriff’s Office and come on down.” She said it “usually takes at least eight times” of making contact with a victim before they leave an abuser.
At its Oct. 13 meeting, the Floyd County Board of Supervisors approved a resolution recognizing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and heard from Teresa McKensie, director of the Floyd County Victim Witness unit.
McKensie said she has touched base with 66 victims since July 1, many of whom she has known for years. She explained that “a lot of times” victims of domestic violence “just come and knock on the door” of her office, located in the basement of the courthouse. “I’ve answered the door to black eyes, bleeding people… They just bypass the Sheriff’s Office and come on down.” She said it “usually takes at least eight times” of making contact with a victim before they leave an abuser.
McKensie also detailed community outreach efforts, including having a booth at the recent Floyd County Arts and Crafts Fair. That display, which features photographs of women who have died as a result of domestic violence, is now set up in the lobby of the Floyd County Courthouse.
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Chairman Joe Turman said that during his career at the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office, he found out that there are many women in the county that “don’t realize they’ve got help out here.”
“I’ve been retired for 16 years, and I still have women call me and ask me questions” about resources, he said. He noted that domestic violence is “list a progressive disease” — “it doesn’t get better; it gets worse.”
Turman recalled one case from years ago in which he had helped a woman hide from her husband. He told her that if she went back, her husband would kill her. “It wasn’t two months later that we got him on a recording, plotting her murder,” he said.
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Tuman said and McKensie agreed that there are men who are also victims of domestic abuse. McKensie said she knows of many.
County Administrator Kim Chiddo said Floyd County is “extremely fortunate” to have McKensie full-time instead of splitting her time in Radford.
Supervisor Linda DeVito Kuchenbuch of Little River said McKensie is “doing the Lord’s work,” as far as she’s concerned. “You’re being guided by a more powerful hand for sure, and I’m so glad you’re here.”
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DeVito Kuchenbuch read the proclamation into the record. In part, it reads:
Whereas, home and family should be sanctuaries of safety, dignity, and mutual respect, yet domestic violence remains a pervasive public health and safety crisis that shatters lives across all demographic boundaries within Floyd County…
Whereas, domestic violence encompasses physical, emotional, psychological, and economic abuse, leaving deep and lasting trauma on individuals, children, and the broader fabric of our community…
Whereas, breaking the cycle of abuse requires a coordinated, compassionate response from law enforcement, emergency services, healthcare providers, and specialized advocacy systems;
Whereas, the dedicated staff and partners of the Floyd County Victim/Witness Assistance Program work tirelessly alongside local law enforcement and the Commonwealth's Attorney Office to ensure survivors are treated with dignity, their voices are heard, and perpetrators are held accountable; …
Be it resolved, that the Board of Supervisors of Floyd County, Virginia, does hereby proclaim the month of October 2026 as DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH in Floyd County, and urges all residents to support the lifesaving efforts of the Floyd County Victim/Witness Assistance Program and work together to eliminate domestic abuse from our community.
RESOURCES:
- Floyd County Victim Witness Unit — (540) 745-9369
- Women's Resource Center of the New River Valley
- Hotline: (540) 639-1123
- Office: (540) 639-9592
- National Domestic Violence Hotline — 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
